Bottle closure



Nov. 7, 1939. s. J. GENE] 2,179,147

BOTTLE CLOSURE Filed March 20, 1939 I INVENTOR. SZaflZfX IGeneZ:

Patented Nov. 7, 1939 warren stares a ain earns-r EFFiQE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle closures. At the present time a large number of people each year either become seriously ill or die due to accidentally taking the contents of a wrong medicine bottle. People frequently pick up the wrong bottle in the dark or else reach for a bottle when they are too sleepy to identify it and see that they have the right one.

It is an object of this invention to provide a bottle closure which can be removed only after having set its outer and inner caps rotarily relative to one another and then tipping the cap at an inclination so that an engaging means between the caps moves into locking position. Thus not only must the two caps be in registry but the closure must also be correctly inclined before it is possible to remove it. While both these operations can be very quickly and easily done in the light, the probability of doing it in the dark, or without observing the indicating marks, is Very slight indeed.

- Another object of the inventionis to provide a bottle closure which is cheap and simple to manufacture, and efiicient in operation.

Having thus briefly stated some of the major objects and advantages of the invention I will now proceed to describe it in detail with the aid of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure lillustrates a sectional view of the invention.

Figure 2 is an inverted plan view of the inne cap, and

Figure 3 is a plan view of the outer cap.

Figure 4 is a side view partly in section showing a slight modification.

Referring to the drawing, 5 and Z designate an outer and an inner cap respectively which are relatively so held as by a rivet 3 that the caps are freely rotatable one within the other. At least a portion of the skirt of the inner cap projects beneath the bottom of the outer cap I as shown at 3, and this downwardly projecting skirt portion has an index mark 5 thereon to register with a corresponding index mark 5 upon the outer cap.

The inner cap 2 is provided internally with suitable means, such as a thread 1. for attachment to wards, and adapted to register with the slot 9 is a corresponding slot l I which is also somewhat upwardly inclined towards the center of the cap. Resting in the slot Q, and usually in the outer extremity of the said slot, is a ball i2 which is also normally in engagement with the annular groove l0 so that free rotation of the caps relative to one another is permitted. If however the caps l andZ are so turned that the slots i6 and ii are in alignment, when the indexing marks 5 and 6 are in registry, then by slightly raising the closure side wherein these slots are formed so that the cap assumes an inclined position the ball l2 rolls inwardly in the slots. When this occurs rotation of the outer cap I also turns the inner cap 2 and the closure may be readily removed from the bottle 8. In order that the closure may be correctly inclined the registering index marks 5 andfi are placed in radial alignment with the slots 9 and II.

It will thus be seen that to turn the inner cap with the outer one the two slots 9 and l i must be in registry and the ball l2 must be between them to constitute a locking member; and for the ball to travel inwardly between these slots the cap must be slightly tilted orinclined in such a manner that the ball will roll inwardly. It is therefore apparent that there is very slight possibility of inner cap being locked to turn with the outer one unless the index marks are visually indexed, because not only must the two caps be so turned that their slots are in registry but the closure must then be properly tilted to cause the ball to roll inwardly otherwise upon further rotation of the outer cap the ball l2 would again travel freely around the annular groove iii.

A slight modification is shown in Figure 4. In this case registering annular grooves la and 2a are formed in the inner periphery of the outercap and the outer periphery of the inner cap respectively. Both these grooves are engaged by a resilient split locking ring to which retains the caps I and Z in their relative positions but permits independent rotation of these caps.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described and shown, it is understood that further alterations and modifications may be made in the construction provided the said alterations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A bottle closure comprising an inner and an outer cap, means holding the caps to one another for independent rotation, means carried by the inner cap for engaging the neck of a bottle, one

cap having an annular groove formed therein and a slot extending from the groove, the other cap having a second slot formed therein registering with a portion of said groove at all times and adapted to register with the first named slot, a locking member partly in said second slot and normally extending into the annular groove to permit independent rotation of the caps, the locking member being adapted. to move longitudinally in both the slots when the latter are in registry to lock the caps against independent rotation.

2. A bottle closure comprising an inner and an outer cap, means holding the caps relative to one another for independent rotation, means on the inner cap for engaging the neck of a bottle, the

top of the outer cap having a concentric annular groove formed in its inner face and a slot extending therefrom, the top of the inner cap having a second slot formed in its outer face adapted to register with the first slot, a ball in the second slot adapted normally to travel around in the annular groove as the outer cap is turned, said ball being also adapted to travel longitudinally in both said slots when the latter are in registry and hold the two caps against independent rotation.

3. A bottle closure comprising the combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the slots in the two caps are longitudinally inclined whereby it is necessary to incline the closure for the ball to move to locking position.

STANLEY J. GENEI. 

